Tax On Food Again? One Group Hopes So

The New Mexico Municipal League wants to bring back sales tax on food; it says to wean cities off subsidy dollars.

But not everyone agrees.

“I don’t think food should be taxed.”

I talked to shoppers at a local Las Cruces grocery store.

“Because it’s one of those unalienable rights…like I don’t think we should have to pay for good drinking water either.”

“We’re gonna get taxed through the state or taxed on food. Either way, the consumer is gonna pay that.”

“We’re gonna pay either way.”

Ever since 2005, the state has not collected sales tax on food from cities.

Founder of 14-year old think tank, “Think New Mexico,” Fred Nathan, says his group spent the years leading up to 2005 trying to make that happen.

“When we initially did this proposal back in 2002, we looked at how New Mexico taxed tobacco and alcohol…we’ve got this exactly backwards.”

City manager Robert Garza oversees the operations of the city and says it’s not something he would like to see, even though it represents lost revenue.

“The impact to our citizens in Las Cruces would be major…we ask ourselves in Las Cruces, would we want to do that? I would say it’s somewhat regressive because those who have less…it would hit them harder.”

Again Fred Nathan…

“There will be winners and losers…losers will be low and middle income New Mexicans who will pay the brunt of this tax.”